Wrapping Up The Semester!

I have always enjoyed clinical experiences in the classroom. I love being able to go and see what a real classroom looks and feels like. This semester was different for me. I really felt like I had a meaningful part in student learning this semester. I was able to teach a literacy lesson to 4th graders, assist the teacher, and get to know the students. I will also be able to teach a few lessons to 2nd graders this week. It has really made me realize that I am where I need to be and I love being in the classroom! Also, I feel that I have learned so much this semester! I love all the learning experiences we have had. One of my favorite learning experiences would have to be the TTotW that we did every week. This was one thing that I didn’t think I would like, but Twitter has great resources and very inspirational quotes to motivate teachers!

For my outside learning this month, I wanted to go to Twitter, since we have finished up TTotW. The tweet that I found inspiring was from Teacher Goals. It states that standardized tests cannot measure what makes students unique and it has a picture of a bulletin board that includes 30 things that standardized tests do not measure. This goes along with what we talk about all the time. We can’t look at a student based on what their test scores say. We need to get to know our students, know their strengths, along with their weaknesses, love them, and be there for them throughout everything they go through in life. Students can be successful in so many things that a standardized test doesn’t even begin to measure.

https://twitter.com/teachergoals/status/986202713972240389

I believe that my learning and connections made relate directly to NCTCS standard 2c. Teachers treat students as individuals. This has become a really important motivation for me. I have a student in my clinicals that is severely below grade level. She has developed learned helplessness and doesn’t really try anymore. I allow her to try her morning math work on her own like all the other students. However, she doesn’t usually try. When she is finished, I will sit down with her individually and talk her through 2 of the 5 problems. It’s amazing when I hear her say, “I get it now!” This is what it’s all about. She just needs that extra little “push” to help her through the problems. If I wouldn’t have looked at her as an individual and saw her needs, she would have never gotten the help she needed. Some students didn’t need that, but I see where their strong suits and weaknesses are as well. Every student is different, just like every teacher is different.

I have learned so many wonderful things in my experiences that I will utilize in my future classroom. The saying is true when it says “you learn by doing.” This absolutely true! I want to take that saying into my future classroom as well. Students will learn so much more when they can actually do things instead of just learning about them. I will differentiate for all my students in every way that I can. I want all of my students to have those moments where they can say, “I get it now!” I am excited for my future career!

Managing My Classroom!

For my blog this month, I wanted to talk about my learning experiences that took place in my clinical placement. I am placed in a 4th grade class and that scared me at first. I never thought that I would like 4th grade. I always wanted to stay K-2, but as I’ve gotten more involved in this 4th grade class, I’ve realized that I like it and I wouldn’t mind teaching it.

I had the amazing opportunity of teaching reading for the day for my teacher who had to attend an IEP meeting and was going to be out of the room. She asked if I could teach it because there were going to be a couple teachers in and out to watch her class, but I knew the students and the book she was teaching and she didn’t want her students to get too behind. I did their reading with them that day and I loved it. I felt like I was in my own classroom and it was a great feeling.

I’ve also learned a lot about classroom management by being in this class. The teacher I am shadowing is very good at managing her class and they have a lot of respect for her because she respects them. Her students are very well behaved and know what to do. They never tried to disrespect me because I was a new authority figure in their classroom. They welcomed me with open arms and respected me like they had met me the first day of school. I have learned that if I have a student that is off task and not cooperating like they should, then it is best to let that student go off on their own and cool down. There was a student in this class that was having a bad day. He was being very disruptive and not doing anything that was asked of him. The teacher sent him in the hallway to cool down, went out to talk to him, but had him stay in the hallway to work on his work alone. The teacher handled this very well and never allowed the student to take away from the rest of the class being productive.

For my outside research, I wanted to take a deeper look into classroom management strategies, see what my clinical educator does, and research things that I can take into my classroom to manage it. Edutopia has provided a list of 11 research-based strategies for managing a classroom. They are referred to in this article as “kernels.” It states that kernels are “bite-size strategies that are validated by mountains of empirical evidence and teacher experience” ("11 Research-Based Classroom Management Strategies"). The website is linked below:

https://www.edutopia.org/article/11-research-based-classroom-management-strategies

This learning for this month relates directly to NCTCS Standard 1: Teachers Demonstrate Leadership. In order to manage our classroom, we have to be leaders in our classroom. A classroom should be full of respect. We must respect our students in order to expect respect from them in return. However, they must know that we are the teacher and we are the leader in that classroom. We must take charge and allow our students to know what is expected of them at all times. In order for our students to learn, feel safe, and enjoy school, we must manage and lead our classrooms!

I have mentioned previous times in this blog post about my future classroom. I strive to have a classroom like my clinical educator does. In order to do that, I have to educate myself on classroom management strategies and enforce those. By researching articles like the one from edutopia, I am educating myself on things that have worked for others and by watching other teachers in action, I am learning as well. Classroom management is a necessity in order for my classroom to run smoothly and for my students to feel safe, loved, and learn all that they can!